The Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a type of therapy called "third generation". In recent years, it has become one of the most popular options for treating disorders such as generalized anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder or social anxiety, although its use is spreading to other problems.
ACT therapy (acceptance and commitment therapy) differs from first and second generation therapies by its primary focus. In the first generation, most techniques were based on behavior change through reinforcement and other behavioral methods.
In second-generation therapies, on the contrary, the focus was placed especially on the cognitive processes of the patients. ACT therapy is based on second-generation therapy, but incorporates elements such as mindfulness and the examination of one's emotions to the treatment of different psychological illnesses..
Initially, acceptance and commitment therapy was developed as an alternative for patients who did not respond well to treatment with cognitive-behavioral therapy, the most accepted so far. However, various investigations have shown that it produces good results for all types of mental disorders.
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Second-generation psychological therapies are based on the idea that our thoughts shape the way we experience the world. Therefore, his focus is on changing the beliefs and mental dialogue of patients, in order to modify their emotions and mood..
In contrast, ACT therapy views negative thoughts and suffering as unavoidable parts of the human experience. Because of this, instead of changing the mental dialogue of patients, this therapeutic approach focuses on teaching them to accept their negative experiences so that it does not cause them more discomfort than necessary.
Because of this, ACT therapy is often compared to "mindfulness", since one of its main techniques is to help patients realize what they are feeling or thinking, and to realize that their experiences internal have no power over them.
At the same time, acceptance and commitment therapy is also based on the idea that taking action according to one's own values is essential to improve the mood of patients. Therefore, it is a very practical approach aimed at making tangible changes in the lives of customers..
ACT therapy is based on six fundamental principles: cognitive defusion, acceptance, contact with the present moment, access to the “observing self”, discovering one's own values, and taking action. Next we will see what each of them consists of.
One of the fundamental principles on which ACT therapy is based is the idea that our thoughts and emotions can only harm us when we identify with them. If, for example, the thought "I am not attractive" arises in our mind, this will only cause us suffering if we believe it..
Most of the existing therapies so far focused on refuting any negative idea or emotion through mental dialogue. ACT, by contrast, teaches patients to simply observe them without judging or trying to modify them. In this way, the discomfort they cause is significantly reduced.
To achieve this goal, various techniques are used that help patients see their thoughts, emotions, and memories as external..
Another of the fundamental theories of acceptance and commitment therapy is that suffering is inevitable: there will never come a time when everything is perfect and negative emotions disappear. Because of this, fighting unpleasant feelings or ideas is not only ineffective, but also increases discomfort.
Instead, ACT teaches you to accept negative experiences, to let them go away on their own, and to act in spite of them. In this way, its influence on the patient's life is significantly reduced, which paradoxically also reduces the discomfort that the patient experiences..
ACT therapy extracts elements from practices such as meditation or mindfulness to help patients to be more connected with what they are doing in each moment. The idea behind this practice is that when we focus on the present, much of our negative experiences disappear.
At the same time, focusing on the present moment helps ACT therapy users act in spite of negative thoughts and emotions. This greatly reduces the need to fight them, which can backfire in the long run..
One of the main reasons we try to fight our negative thoughts, emotions, and memories is because we think they will hurt us if we allow them to stay in our minds. ACT therapy seeks to demonstrate that this idea is not real.
According to this therapeutic method, our mind is divided into two parts: the "thinking self" and the "observing self". Regardless of what the thinking self does, the observing self can always maintain a state of calm and well-being, separate from any thoughts or emotions we have..
Therefore, by identifying with the observing self, it is possible to greatly reduce the discomfort caused by our feelings and thoughts..
According to research on the matter, taking action to get what you want is essential to achieve a high level of well-being. However, reaching any goal requires uncomfortable or difficult actions, which is why many people do not work on their goals to avoid feeling bad..
The solution proposed by ACT therapy to this problem is to discover what the values of each patient are. It is about what is most important for each person, a compass that points towards what each one wants to achieve.
When a person clarifies their values and acts congruently with them, it is easier for them to work towards their goals even if they have to do unpleasant or unmotivating tasks.
Once we have learned that our own thoughts and emotions do not have to negatively influence our experience, and our most important values have been discovered, the last step of ACT therapy involves setting a series of challenging goals and taking action. to get them.
In this way, the approach of this therapy is twofold: on the one hand it seeks to reduce emotional discomfort directly, and on the other to improve the lives of patients to reduce the frequency with which they find themselves in situations that cause them unhappiness.
Each acceptance and commitment therapy session will be unique depending on where the patient is. At all times, the therapist will work with the client to achieve one of the following goals: to become aware of one's own mental states, to accept and disempower them, to clarify one's values, and to take action..
The first step in acceptance and commitment therapy involves the patient becoming aware of what they are experiencing: the emotions, thoughts, and memories that go through their minds at all times. To do this, the most common is to do mindfulness exercises or reflect on what has happened in a specific situation.
Mindfulness exercises are based on techniques such as meditation. They generally involve the patient spending a certain amount of time observing what is going on inside their head. To do this, the most common is to perform breathing exercises.
In addition to this, the therapist can help the patient to inquire about what he was feeling or thinking at a certain moment. With sufficient practice, the individual is able to recognize his own mental states with increasing ease..
The second step in ACT therapy is to teach the patient different ways that they can reduce the discomfort caused by their own thoughts and emotions..
This usually involves being able to observe mental states without judging them, identifying with the observing self, and disassociating from one's own thoughts and emotions..
Once the person has been able to disempower their feelings, thoughts and memories, the therapist must help them discover what is really important to them.
In this way, it is possible to identify which parts of the individual's life are aligned with their values, and which ones need a change..
The last part of acceptance and commitment therapy involves the person, with the help of the psychologist, developing an action plan that helps them create a life increasingly congruent with their own values and act despite still having negative mental states or uncomfortable.
On the other hand, ACT therapy is cyclical. This means that, although these four stages usually occur in a linear way, at any moment of the process it is possible to go back and practice again any technique or exercise that can improve the results that the person is achieving..
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